Month: March 2017

By now you’ve probably heard about the many benefits of coconut oil. As one of our favorite ingredients to cook with, it’s surely been a few healthy recipes that has even found its way into our morning cup of java. Another amazing benefit of coconut […]

Our lives are moving faster where fast food has become the norm to getting dinner on the go. But we are here to tell you that you can still enjoy a quick meal, except the ones that we’re into are way healthier, cheaper and won’t […]

Activewear has come a long way since its heyday of sweats and oversized t-shirts. Not that we don’t love rocking baggy sweats every now and again, but it’s nice to have fitted and cute options to wear when you break a sweat. Enter an even easier (hooray!) way to get the most trendy, cool activewear without even having to leave your house with SweatStyle, a customized subscription service. How it works is to take a short quiz so that SweatStyle can curate your dream box based on your personality, preferred workout and lifestyle preferences. You can then receive the trendiest, curated fitness apparel every month, every other month or every three months.

This also includes some of the coolest products out there, featuring brands like Terez, Koral, Nux, Vimmia, Yogasmoga, Track & Bliss and more “boutique” premium apparel. The best part, you can adjust your budget to what works best with your wallet’s comfortability without sacrificing on the quality of brands. To learn more about SweatStyle, we chatted with Helena Cawley, the CEO and Founder of SweatStyle and co-founder of Uplift Studios. Read on to learn more about how SweatStyle works and how’s it’s really different from what’s out there.

SweatStyle Interview with Helena Cawley

Wellness Patterns: How did the idea of SweatStyle come about?

Helena Cawley: I started SweatStyle to help women find the right fitness clothes to suit their workouts, lifestyles and preferences. With the fundamental shift over the last few years in women leading more healthy lives and also wearing athleisure both in and out of the gym, there was a great demand for new and fun clothes to wear for workouts and beyond. The designers were taking notice too; amazing new brands were being launched with hi-tech fabrics, fantastic colors and prints and a diverse range of options for all women across all sizes and workout preferences. Yet there remained a big disconnect between the brands that were producing these wonderful new clothes, and the women who wanted to buy them. Many were very young companies themselves and were hard to find, leaving them wondering where the customers were and the customers wondering if there was anything else out there besides the same old options that they’d been wearing now for a few years. Enter SweatStyle.

It was my vision to create a personalized shopping experience solely focused on fitness clothing. By using information from our customers’ profiles about their workouts and lifestyles, we hand pick the best new styles and brands for each woman. Then we send our selections right to their door and allow a five-day try-on period, so customers are getting convenience, personalization and fashionable fitness clothes that they wouldn’t have otherwise found themselves. When you have a great new outfit to show off, it’s extra motivation to hit the gym, so we’re also helping women lead healthier and more active lifestyles. The old adage is really true: When you look good, you feel good. That’s the fundamental mission of SweatStyle.

Wellness Patterns: How does it work?

Helena Cawley: 1) Customers come to our site and fill out a profile indicating their favorite types of workouts (spin, barre, yoga, etc), their sizing info and their style preferences (do they like big, bold colors or more neutrals, a tight fit or a loose fit?). See the profile here.
2) SweatStyle will curate a box of five items personally for each customer based on her profile.
3) Everything is shipped to her door and she has five days to try it all on and decide what she wants to keep and what to return. She’s only charged for what she keeps.
4) A new shipment automatically arrives every one, two or three months (based on customer’s preferred frequency) with the latest styles, trends and brands on the market.
5) We keep meticulous data on what was kept/returned so that we understand each customer inside and out and can select the perfect items for her that we know she’ll love.

Wellness Patterns: Tell us a little more about Uplift?

Helena Cawley: Uplift is a women-only fitness studio that I co-founded in 2012. The philosophy behind Uplift is rooted in my experience with fitness – that it should help you feel better, not just look better, and that pushing yourself to and past your own goals makes you a stronger and overall person in all aspects of your life. Uplift offers amazing group classes and one-on-one personal training, but what really sets it apart is the community of women that we have cultivated. We spend a lot of time with our clients outside of the workouts discussing careers, breakups, politics, nutrition starting your own business, etc. Uplift had created a network of friends and contacts like I have never seen before. Fitness is at the heart of the business but there is so much more to it and it is such a special place. After spending four years as CEO and Co-Founder of Uplift, I started my company SweatStyle.

Wellness Patterns: How have been finding balancing motherhood and your new company?

Helena Cawley: I don’t know that anyone really feels that they have the “balance” of motherhood and career figured out (if she’s out there – introduce me!). I take it one day at a time and usually I am able to spend a large amount of time on both, but sometimes one has to take priority over the other. I have a great support system that lets me be flexible when I need to be. I have had to sacrifice some other aspects of my life, like spending time with friends and reading for pleasure, but I know that my two main priorities right now are my family and my work and as long as I’m feeling good about both of those, then I’m happy.

Wellness Patterns: What is your advice for women who want to get into the business side of the fitness industry?

Helena Cawley: Talk to as many people as you possibly can as you get started and as you grow. Nobody can do this alone and the more people you connect with, the more ideas you’ll generate, the more help you’ll get, the more relationships you’ll foster, the better your business will be. When we first started Uplift and when I was launching SweatStyle, I tried to meet with new people almost every day to pick their brains or just learn about their experiences. I always left with a new way of thinking or at least another round of practice on perfecting my pitch. It was never a waste of time and more often than not, there was something really valuable that came of it.

Wellness Patterns: What has been the most challenging part of having your own business?

Being my own cheerleader. I’m not the type of person who demands I talk about myself all the time to anyone with an ear, so I sometimes have to force it. There is no one else that is going to get your business noticed or help you grow, so you have to put yourself out there, network and ask for help as much as you can. It’s not easy to do that, especially for women.

We love the idea of a wellness retreat, but seriously: where the heck do you go? There are so many options and awesome opportunities where you can ‘get your zen on.’ To help you out we are sharing a few offerings in New England. You […]

We are so excited to spread the word about an exciting new campaign from Kneipp, an awesome natural skincare brand that’s committed to inner wellness by providing all-natural products. They recently partnered with Action Against Hunger, an international relief organization devoted to saving the lives of […]

Did you know that March 22nd is World Water Day? To help you celebrate and take better care of this precious resource,The Ecology Centeris sharing some tips and simple solutions designed to inspire change and reduce your water footprint. Read on to check out what you can do on to support their mission on World Water Day, and really everyday!

Celebrating Wold Water Day: What You Can Do!

Use reusable – Using a reusable water bottle can save 1 gallon of water daily. Request your One Less Plastic Bottle sticker and pledge to ditch disposable water bottles.

Conscious Consumption – Buy less and buy products that are built to last. An average t-shirt can cost up to 650 gallons to produce. Give old things new life, recycle and reuse.

Turn off the tap – When brushing teeth or washing dishes you could save 8 gallons per day. Or collect cold shower water with a Tubtrug.

Brick it – By placing a brick in your toilet’s water tank you can save ¼ every time you flush and 2 gallons per day.

Eat less meat – It takes up to 1600 gallons to feed, process, transport and store 1 lb of meat. Swap meat for greens a couple times a week and save thousands of gallons.